1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of controlling a recording apparatus, and particularly to a method of controlling a recording apparatus using an ink jet recording system.
2. Related Background Art
As recording apparatuses to be mounted on vehicles, there have heretofore been put into practical use various recording apparatuses mounted on vehicles to issue taxi fare receipts and issue slips in the transport industry. As such recording apparatuses, it is often the case that those being carried are of the thermal type using thermosensitive paper for coloring in black by being heated.
On the other hand, electronic apparatuses carried on automobiles have made remarkable advances in recent years and with the navigation system using GPS (global positioning system) as a core they have evolved as information terminals for effecting Internet connection and highway toll collection. In such information terminals, there are provided color display apparatuses and the demand for color printing has been on the rise.
Also, ink jet recording apparatuses which can obtain inexpensive and highly definite prints have widely spread as the printing means of personal computers.
Among the above-described ink jet recording apparatuses, recording means (recording head) of the ink jet type which discharges ink by the utilization of heat energy and has a liquid path arrangement (discharge port arrangement) of high density can be easily manufactured by forming an electrothermal converting element, an electrode, a liquid path wall, a top plate, etc. in film manner on a substrate by way of semiconductor manufacturing processes such as etching, evaporation and sputtering, and enables further compactness to be achieved. Also, by making the most of the merits of the IC technique and the microprocessing technique, it becomes easy to make the recording means long and flat (two-dimensional) and the full multiplication and highly dense mounting of the recording means also become easy.
However, the ink jet recording apparatus discharges ink through a minute nozzle to thereby effect recording and therefore, the ink in the nozzle is liable to evaporate and cause clogging. In order to prevent such evaporation of the ink, it is necessary to cap a discharge surface when recording is not effected for a long time.
Also, if the ink jet recording apparatus is left unused for a long period, bubbles may collect in a common liquid chamber communicating with ink flow paths due to the relations of gases dissolved in the ink and the gas transmissivity of members constituting the head and the adhesively securing portion thereof to thereby hamper the ink supply to the nozzle.
The cap is made of an elastic material such as rubber or elastomer and has negative pressure generating means connected thereto to thereby suitably suck the ink in the nozzle and eliminate clogging.
In the ink jet recording apparatuses of the conventional type used in offices and homes, time is always monitored by an electrical timer and when a predetermined time elapses, it automatically performs the sucking operation. This timer is operated by the electric power of an AC power source.